This article was first published in
For children, “” can be a source of fear and distress as your body aches in a way no one can do much to help with. For parents, they can be a source of anxiety, as they worry that something more serious is wrong or fret over their inability to help their child. I do not doubt the reality that children feel pains in their limbs, usually lower, that we adults call “growing pains.” They just don’t have anything to do with growing.
As defines, “Growing pain is a frequent noninflammatory syndrome consisting of intermittent, often annoying, pains that affect the lower extremities of children.” They’re present in an estimated of children. They’re usually not a sign of anything more serious. They almost always themselves with time. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that for kids experiencing them, they’re scary and unpleasant.
When it comes to what exactly causes growing pains, the truth is that we’re not sure. But we do know that they to periods of growth. At least has found that children who experience growing pains have lower pain thresholds than those who don’t, potentially implicating pain tolerance, but more research is needed.
-wise, you can think of addressing growing pains like you would any sore muscle: hot compresses, age-appropriate pain killers, and a lot of chocolate and snuggles.
